Coronary artery calcium detected by electron beam tomography (EBT) establishes a diagnosis of coronary atherosclerosis, as there are no false positive calcium measurements. The amount of calcium seen on EBT correlates directly with the actual amount of coronary plaque measured by intravascular ultrasound and histopathology. Studies have also shown that a higher coronary artery calcium score on EBT is associated with greater risk of future myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or ischemia over follow-up periods of 3-6 years.